Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni: NatsuKashiiHen
by The Insufferable One
Summary: If fate is a millstone then we are the grist. There is nothing we can do. So I wish for strength. If I cannot protect them from the wheel, Then give me a strong blade And enough strength To shatter fate. Pairings unknown. rated T for now.


My most recent wandering into the realm of my mind…conjured up THIS. It's been in the works a while now, meaning by now I have NEW ideas…. *sweat drop* ^^" Sorry. I have the attention span of a goldfish, my friend says…..and it's often true…. I mean, next is a DMC/Naruto fic! I want opinions on that too, by the way! So, have fun, enjoy, and if possible, review!

Higurashi No _Na_ku Koro Ni

1983

Hinamizawa

_Na_tsukashii-hen

Part 1

_If fate is a millstone _

_then we are the grist._

_There is nothing we can do_

_So I wish for strength_

_If I cannot protect them from the wheel_

_Then give me a strong blade_

_And enough strength_

_To shatter fate_

The road to Hinamizawa was old, and the dirt hard packed. His shoes left shallow prints in the ground as he walked towards the town. Over rolling hills and across sunny fields he walked, for there were no cars on this road with which to hitchhike. Finally, he reached the hill where the shrine stood. Looking at the sign post, the young man smiled. It was still the same. He knelt before the shrine, humbling himself to the deity of Hinamizawa. _'Oyashira-sama, Hanyuu-sama, I have returned.'_ The youth stood, and resumed his leisurely pace, leaving the Furude Shrine behind. He took a deep breath, tasting the air once more. He could smell it. The fun, the adventure, the mystery. Yes. It was good to be home.

--

"It was..." He flipped the first card. "Mion," He flipped the second, "With the knife," flipping the third, he concluded, "In the basement." Shion Sonozaki nodded, impressed.

"Good job, Kei-chan. You're really getting good at this game." Keiichi Maebara grinned proudly.

"Of course. When your mother is a mystery freak, you pick a few things up." Rika smiled at him, while Satoko pouted, having lost to Keiichi three times now. Rena was staring off into space, a dazed smile on her face for reasons unknown. The bell rang, signifying that break was over, and the Game club scrambled to clean up. As Keichi rushed to the cabinet to put the game cards back, his foot caught in a chair leg, and he fell. He hit the floor hard, and the cards scattered everywhere.

"Ow!"

He got up slowly, rubbing his jaw where he had hit it. gathering the dropped cards, he was about to get up when he noticed an extra. It was white, meaning a player card, but he had never heard of this person before. Tucking the card into his pocket, he put the deck back into the cupboard, returning to his seat just as the rest of the class filed in. Waving away Shion and Rika's odd looks, he returned to his schoolwork, resolving to talk to them after school.

--

It was when they were walking home that he decided to bring it up.

"Mion." The green haired girl turned, a smile on her face.

"Yeah, Kei-chan?" Her smile slipped when she saw the card in his hand. Keiichi's face was confused, and slightly upset.

"Who is this?" Now Rena turned around, and when she laid eyes on the card, she gasped. Keiichi repeated his question.

"Who is this person? Who is Atsushi Kono?!"

When Shion didn't answer, Rena spoke up, stuttering.

"K-keiichi-kun, we-we didn't mean to hide it from you, but-"

"But _What?!"_ He snapped, in no mood for excuses. "You always hide things from me! First Satoshi-!" He stopped, realizing that if he went further, he would regret it. Taking a deep breath, he started over. "Please, I don't want to be in the dark so much." Rena nodded, looking a little better than when it had started.

"Atsushi-kun...He was another member of our club, two years ago, which is why he has a card. He and Satoshi were good friends, but..." She looked at the ground, and Shion put a hand on her shoulder, looking equally dismal. "He wasn't as good at enduring things as Satoshi was. One day, it proved too much for him....And, and-" She started to shiver. Tears began to gather at the corners of her eyes. "H-he....Atsushi-kun..." Shion squeezed her shoulder, and stepped forward, continuing for Rena.

"Atsushi lost it. He was always sensitive to teasing and names, but one day it went too far." She looked so sad, Keiichi realized. It wasn't like Satoshi, who had transfered. Atsushi had really _done something_, something that made his friends incredibly uneasy. Shion kept going though, and Keiichi didn't stop her.

"I had forgotten my sweater, left it behind at school. I hurried back, since I had promised Rena I'd help her get to something in the dump. Once I had found it, I was about to get back on my bike, when...I heard them, voices, laughing and jeering.

It was the older kids, ganging up on Atsushi. They had surrounded him, and it looked like they were... torturing him. Then one of them said something, I heard our names used, and.....he saw me." Now Shion looked like she was going to cry. "His eyes, they went so wide, it looked like his pupils were only dots. He stopped moving, and they gathered around him. Then he....He grabbed a folding rake from the shed."

Keiichi's own eyes went wide. He knew where this was going. He didn't want to hear the end, but he couldn't speak, and Shion couldn't stop. So he listened. And Rena kept nodding, confirming what Shion said as truth.

"At first, it looked like they wouldn't stop, but then Atsushi got him. He-he hit the boy in the stomach, and when he doubled over, coughing up blood, the rest of them got mad. They grabbed things like shovels and poles, but it didn't even matter." Keiichi could see it all now, even if he had no face to put with the name. He didn't want to, but he knew that Shion and Rena had been holding this in for a long time, and that telling him was probably thier outlet, thier relief. He nodded, telling her to go on. Shion took a shivering breath, and kept going.

"I-I didn't know Atsushi-kun even knew how to fight, but he...he was untouchable. I don't think they even stood a single chance. And, when it was over, he just stood there, smiling. And then he looked at me, and he-he said...."

_"I can't stand it, Mi-chan. I can't stand it at all when they insult you."_

As soon as she was done, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, and heard Keiichi say,

"I think...you've done a good job, Mion. Now you two don't have to hold it in anymore." He noticed Rena pouting a bit, and beckoned her. Her face lit up a bit, and she joined in the hug. They stood there, listening to the sound of the cicadas in the background. Shion sighed, and thought aloud,

"Wouldn't it be wonderful to be like theHigurashi? To be allowed to cry out and cry out, until the night comes and your cries are swallowed..." Keiichi rubbed the back of her head, then whispered,

"Mion, We will listen to your cries as long as you need us to." She looked to Rena, who nodded soundly, a large smile plastered on her face. Then a look of shock entered her expression.

"Oh my god...I can't believe I forgot" Keiichi turned, a hint of worry on his own face.

"Rena? Is something wrong?" The brown haired girl dropped to the ground, scrambling and digging through her bag frantically, before finally finding what she was searching for.

"A--HA!!" She crowed, fishing out what looked like a letter, folded in thirds down the paper and tied with a ribbon. Keiichi and Shion gathered around her as she opened it, revealing several long, tiny lines of characters written down the length of the paper. The letter was worn and wrinkled, like it had been read many times before. Rena spoke excitedly, and Keichii had to strain, both to read the paper and make out what she was saying.

"I got this in the mail yeserday, and I had to read it so many times to make sure it was true. Oh, Keiichi-kun, do you know how long we've been hoping this would happen? Oh, Mi-chan, I can't wait! I know that when you read it you'll-"

"Rena!" Keiichi interupted, staring at the letter. "Is...is this true?" Shion, confused, looked back and forth between the two, confused. He handed her the paper, and after a minute or so, her eyes grew wide with shock.

"It...it's from....Atsushi-kun?!" Rena and Keiichi nodded, and Shion continued to read.

_"Dearest Mion, Rena, Rika, Satoko, and Satoshi,_

_If you are reading this, then my letter has arrived successfuly. I'm sorry for leaving so suddenly. _

_I knew that if I had stayed, I would not be safe. I had to leave, and prepare myself. _

_I hope you did not worry. I was staying with relatives, and only just decided to return. _

_I sent this letter a short while before I left. If it has not been screened or searched, then you will likely find several keys inside. _

_Keep these with you, please. You'll know why soon enough. _

_I just hope my letter arrives before I do, which promises to be soon. _

_Do give my regards to everyone, and expect me to be there soon. _

_With all love and sincerity, _

_Kono Atsushi "_

Shion looked up from the paper, her eyes wide as saucers.

"A....Atsushi-kun....is returning?" She looked to both of them, then back at the paper. "Atsushi-kun is coming back....he's coming back to us..." Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes, and she felt such relief... And then Keiichi spoke up, and shattered her joyous moment.

"Mion." his voice sounded grave. "The letter...It says _Satoshi_." She looked at him in surprise. "He doesn't know Satoshi transferred." She continued to stare at him. "He doesn't know I'm here."

--

Very much had changed in the past two years, but one of them was not the people. The townsfolk still remembered with their long memories, still kept to their own, still were wary of those outside. And it almost seemed like he would be lumped into the latter category, until one of the older children recognized him, and word soon spread throughout those in the streets. Several of them gave him warm smiles, while others gave him a few pats on the back. The younger children wondered at his large package and the long bundle he carried, and though he gave them a wink, he would not give away what they were. He could hear them, laughing behind him, bringing a smile to his lips. Yes, it felt so _good_ to be home.

--

"He doesn't know...he couldn't know..." Rena whispered, as Keiichi stared at the letter, his expression grim. How would someone the girls had- ironicly- deemed "emotionally unstable" react when he found his freind gone and another in his place?

--

There it was.... The Hinamizwa schoolhouse. He walked inside, looking around, seeing what had changed. Other than the minor details -a few graduated students, a few new ones- everything was the same. He looked at the roster clipboard, still where the teacher had always left it, looking the list over. There, his friends: Furude Rika, Sonozaki Mion, Ryuugu Rena, Houjou Satoko, and-... He blinked. There was no Houjou Satoshi. He looked through the entire list, through old lists, old seating charts, everything. No Satoshi. He stumbled back, leaning on a desk as his breathing increased.

"You won't find him here." He jumped at the small voice, low and solemn as it was. He calmed himself before replying.

"I...I can see that, Rika-chan...." He ran a hand through his long shoulder-length hair, chuckling to himself. "Unless there is no Rika anymore either, and I've come to the wrong village." The girl smiled grimly.

"You're in Hinamizawa all right, but Satoshi has fallen out of the gears of fate. He has been succeeded by Maebara Keiichi."

The boy looked to the roster, and sure enough: Maebara Keiichi. He smiled in some strange sort of satisfaction.

"So at long last....fate may be broken?" The girl smiled, but said nothing. He sighed, then stood and walked over to her, knelt down, and enveloped her in a hug. "'Bout f'ing time, Rika. How many weeks have you lived? A thousand? Three thousand?"

"Fifteen." He looked at her in confusion.

"Just Fiftee-"

"Fifteen thousand, eight hundred fifty three." She said, a look of resigned humor on her face. "That's how many, Atsushi. And now you'll be here to combat fate with me."

He grinned, shaking his head at her.

"What choice do I have but to obey the Great Rika?" He gave her a bow that seemed only half mocking. "I shall wield my sword bravely for her highness." He looked up, meeting her own gaze, and dropped to the floor, standing on one knee, still keeping his eyes on hers. "Fate cannot stand against us for much longer, Rika-chan. It will be broken." She smiled sadly at his solemn statement.

"I used to say something like that....fifteen thousand loops ago." She turned to the doorway, and Atsushi saw a small figure in a Miko outfit woth two horns on either side of her pale-haired head peaking into the room. he smiled at the sight.

"Hanyu-sama!" He turned to face the timid spirit, a grin upon his face. Hanyu smiled slightly, then turned to Rika.

"The others know about Atsushi now, and they're bound to find out at some point..."

"That won't be a problem." Atsushi broke in, withdrawing from his pocket a slip of paper. "I've already transferred back. I'll be introduced to them tomorrow." Rika frowned.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea, Atsushi? It would surely placate Shion and Rena, though that's debateable." She looked out the window, only barely able to see the trio down the road. "I"m worried about Keiichi though. He doesn't know about this, even though he suspects much." Hanyu looked between the two, then decided to sit at one of the desks, smiling happily to herself. Atsushi smiled as well, before whirling about, reaching for the bundle he had left on a desk. Rika looked at him in surprise.

"What is it Atsushi?"

He shook his head, putting a finger to his lips. In a semblance of his normal voice, he said out loud,

"Nothing. I thought I heard something. You sure the school is empty?" Rika nodded, catching on.

"I checked. It's empty except for us." As she said this, Atsushi raised the object by one end, causing a slight clinking noise to emenate from it's wrapped length. He crept towards the door, holding the object vertically, his back to the wall. Rika, equally suspicious now, grabbed a chair, holding it by the legs. They both crept towards the doorway, Hanyu taking the initiative and going ahead. When she let out a gasp of surprise, Asushi and Rika dashed into the hall.

--

While Keiichi stared at the message in thought, Shion noticed something about the letter.

"Keiichi, what is that?" When he looked at her in confusion, she gestured to the letter. "That, on the back." He flipped the paper over, looking at the single line of text on the otherwise blank face.

_"I shall shatter the millstone."_

--

As Hanyu cried out "No!", they came face to face with Mion Sonozaki. The real Mion, not her twin, who went under the same name. She had a look of shock on her face as Hanyu stood in front of her, arms spread wide to prevent the two conspirators from harming the innocent girl.

"M-mion? What the hell?" Atsushi asked, astounded. The girl blinked.

"M-my name is... Shion. You must have me confused with my si-"

"Don't bullshit us." Atsushi interupted, a small scowl on his face. He lifted the package up, resting it on his shoulder. "I know that you switched names with your sister. Don't try to pull that." Rika lowered her chair, her expression dark.

"How much did you hear, Sonozaki Mion?" The girl looked at her, panic on her face.

"N-nothing! Just something about fate, but I swear, I don't understand any of it!" Rika frowned, then looked at Atsushi.

"She knows too much, but we can't be the ones to kill in this loop this early...What do we do?" Atsushi reached out, offering his free hand to Mion, who took it, standing slowly. He smirked at Rika grimly.

"Not much we CAN do except tell her the truth." He said this knowing full well what Rika's response would be.

"T-that's insane! You want her to regain all those deaths?!" Atsushi sighed, then nodded.

"As much as I hate to say it, people have a right to know they're in a timeloop...and they have a right to those lost memories." Rika was silent for a while, then nodded.

"You're right.....Hanyu....could you...exclude her from the loop?" The spirit nodded, and touched Mion's forehead, causing a slight ripple of light to spread outwards throuh the air. Hanyu gasped, and nearly collapsed from the power she had to use, but Atsushi caught her before she hit the ground. Mion's eyes widened, and she slipped to the floor again, breathing heavily as all the times she died, all the memories the loop took away, returned. She started to run through the thoughts involuntarily, her eyes moving about wildly.

"Shion...kill...me...satoko...Gomenasai... Rena......gomenasai... blade...taser....kill...oyashira... gomenasai..... Keiichi....We...did what together?... Gomenasai.... He.... no.... Uncle....obaa ....kill..... threaten... gomenasai... Hinamizawa... Takano ... evil.... murder...gone...love...hate...Gomenasai ... SATOSHI!....." As her final cry faded, she remained silent, and looked at Rika and Atsushi. Her voice soft and low, she spoke in a pained tone. "...How can you bear it?" Atsushi just grinned.

"It'd be stupid to say that we just can...but I don't know how to explain it.... maybe we don't." He looked at Rika, then chuckled. "Actually, Rika-chan has been doing pretty well, to be honest." The miko sent him a look, but nodded.

"Now we must wait. We wait for Keiichi to realize."

* * *

Aaaaaand CUT! Alright, there you have it! Chapter one of my first try at writing Higurashi. Hell, I didn't even finish season one before writing this, hence why the plot makes little sense now. XD Anyway, I'm confused at to what pairings should be in it. Leave a review if you want a certain one, as well as telling me what you like about it. I know some people want to read other stories after finishing one, but please, it can't hurt to leave some constructive criticism, can it? I want reviews with helpful comments, not just "lawl cool braw!" So yeah. . Anything helpful is appreciated. ^^

R&R, have fun, waffles!

Gale OUT!


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